Akizawa Japanese Bistro

“ Walked in on a Friday night without a reservation and the owner was so kind and said to come back one hour which was expected. Came back after a drink and was sat at the sushi bar. Food was fresh and server (I'm guessing owner?) was polite and didn't rush us. Not only was everything delicious but also AFFORDABLE! Not over priced and highly recommended. I enjoy high end sushi restaurants like (masu, momoyama) but this place is better. Will be coming back for sure ”

“ Akizawa is a wonderful addition to Downtown Portland. it seems like PDX has had an explosion of new (and delicious) sushi restaurants over the past 2-3 years, and Akizawa is no exception! i made reservations in advance, which i HIGHLY recommend. Akizawa is a small place, so you may not be seated (especially on a weekend at dinner time) if you don't have a reservation. upon walking in, we were greeted by the staff and we settled into the cozy atmosphere as we waited for our table to open. what caught my eye while waiting was appreciating how they had their variety of sake artfully placed on the wall with short, informative descriptions of each one. once we were seated and looked over the menu, we ordered: * gyoza * edamame * albacore yuzu omoi * rainbow roll * heather canyon roll * negihama roll * negitoro roll * salmon maki * cho toro nigiri i enjoyed everything... there wasn't a single item i didn't like or wouldn't order again. the fish was among the freshest i've experienced around the area. aside from freshness, i was pleased that the rolls and the nigiri were bite-sized and properly cut. i always experience anxiety when going to a sushi spot i've never been before, because i'm always worried the rolls or nigiri will be too large to eat properly. this is definitely the kind of sushi spot where the fish really speaks for itself, and i will probably skip the rolls and only order sashimi or nigiri the next time i visit. the only thing preventing me from giving this experience 5-stars was the time it took to receive our food. it took 20-ish mins to receive our appetizers, then another 25-ish mins before the main dinner items reached our table. we arrived at the restaurant absolutely famished, so waiting 45 mins for the full meal was a somewhat stressful. additionally, knowing we only had about an hour slotted at our table before the next reservation, it was a bummer that the food took so long and we didn't really have time to order more food. ”

“ Delicious food! Would recommend making a reservation. They were very communicative about their wait times and availability. Would highly recommend all of the dishes I ordered. -tonkatsu -shishito peppers -gindara (black cod special) -salmon toro nigiri - tako karaage -gyoza -chawanmushi Intimate place and good for small groups. ”

“ First of all, I am filled with internal conflict because I don't want to leave a 5-star review and tell the world this Akizawa is an incredible sushi and Japanese bistro...I mean do they need another 5-Star review ? Will it become even harder to get a table? Well, I'll suffer waiting for a table because we want to support and thank Rosie and her husband for creating this wonderful, quaint and elegant restaurant that we love so much. We even made a trek from San Jose to celebrate our friend BB's birthday here because he found and loves this place. My wife is from Tokyo and Akizawa passed her high sushi and sashimi standards. And there is a wall of sake and I suggest that you ask Rosie for a recommendation. Wish this restaurant was in San Jose but I'll continue to travel to Portland and visit every trip. ”

“ Beautiful. Food traditional, a bit inovative. Service was attentive and on target. Very home base kind of place for locals. ”

“ Nice place, they let me sit near the door until they were actually open. She put me at the bar, which was ok at 3 people, 5 would be cramped. I asked for coke or coffee, they had 7UP the water was really good so I did not need it, after all. The pork fried dumpling giyu (sp?) was tasty but had hard pieces, maybe fat. I also had the rainbow sushi, which was good, wish it had more ginger or the hot green (avocado?) Still had pleasing taste lingering in my mouth or mind for about an hour. She did say I could reserve for lunch. I don't know enough to order other dishes, but will probably come back to try. Have only been to 4 other sushi places so not that knowledgeable. ”

“ Akizawa is perfect for a rainy day lunch for sushi and sake lovers! It's an Izakaya with an omakase or a la carte sushi and nigiri menu, a very robust appetizer section, boxed sushi, Donburi, and some cooked offerings, a full sake menu + other drinks. If you don't do raw fish, you still have solid options, such as: garlic edamame, agedashi tofu, gyoza, shisito pepper, ika karaage, California roll, and black cod miso, shrimp tempura. But really, you should just do a plentiful mix! Everything is tasty. Highly recommend: Heather Canyon roll, Toro nigiri, garlic edamame, shisito pepper, ika karaage The restaurant is tucked next to Morgan's Alley and across from The Bidwell Hotel. It is limited seating so for peak hours it might be hard to get seated. Only street parking available. ”

“ One of the more impressive spots I've been to as of late. The inside ambience is immaculate, peaceful and cooling. I loved the mismatch wooden chairs. The space is on the smaller side so only about ~15 people can be seated at a time. Do make reservation. The food is totally worth the effort to eat here. Izakaya-style so smaller plates meant for sharing and sampling but the prices were great for the quality of food that you get. We started off with a handful of appetizers: Assorted Tempuras, Yuzu Albacore, Umagi, and Gyoza. All dishes were delicious. The seafood in the tempura was so fresh. They were all very well-battered and fried as well. The Albacore was very tender, pairing great with the unique yuzu vinegrette. The Umagi was also decadent, delicious flavored omlette with sweet grilled eel in the center. The Gyozas were nicely porky and umami with extremely crispy and thin wings. For rolls, we got the Toro Negi Hoshomaki, Dragon Roll, and Spicy Tuna Roll. I was a big fan of the Negi Toro. The simplicity of the dish highlighted the quality of the fish, rice, and seaweed. The Dragon Roll and Spicy Tuna were also delicious. All around a 10/10 dining experiece. Since this was a small operation with two people at the back of house and one in front, at times we needed to wait quite a bit for our food but the ambience of the place and the food that you get just made it that much easier to be patient. They're open for lunch as well, serving similar appetizers and Teishoku. We'll definitely be back to try lunch and their seasonal offerings! ”

“ Truly a gem of a japanese spot! This restaurant/izakaya perfectly fits the balance of upscale, elegant sushi at a more accessible price than your typical "fancy" spot. But don't be mistaken, every bite brings an elevated experience that is hard to match at any other spot in town! Everything was made fresh to order and the yuzu albacore was the softest and most delicious sashimi I've ever tasted. Not to mention you could taste the care and attention to detail in each bite of the sushi rolls. Everything was stellar! Top it off with the kind and welcoming folks (only 3 people from what we saw!) providing excellent service and you have what I think is the best izakaya in portland! ”

“ We had a great dinner experience here! Nice ambiance and very attentive service. They have great recommendations for drink pairings. The quality of fish and reasonable prices are worth checking out. We started with the tako karaage which was great! Sashimi was fresh, texture perfect. Also loved the tuna tataki. Will be back often! Very central downtown location. We heard desserts are coming next week! ”